Chapter 401 – Victory March (3)

000

The kingdom’s victory march takes place on the same day that the victory commemoration ceremony takes place.

A little after noon, the procession of carriages departed from the royal castle, going around the royal capital along the royal capital’s walls through the main road of the royal capital.

The time at the end of each year changes because the king, Lucius, may stop in the middle to give a speech to the people, or trouble may occur in the front, but-

Even so, for the safety of royalty and nobles, it is common to finish before the sun completely sets.

[After he was killed, fewer assassins approached him. Did I give up, or am I thinking of another way?]

Tens of minutes after Cleon stopped Chris.

However, while walking along the side of the carriage, until now, no assassin had reached Amelia.

According to Layla’s story, the number of assassins approaching after being caught by the Battle Maid’s bodyguards has also decreased.

Seeing Chris’ failure, the assassins must think of something.

[But there are also fewer people watching the back of the march. Perhaps, he seems to feel that it has become difficult to go among the citizens.]

At Gray’s words, Cleon nodded his head as if that was enough reason.

The battle between Chris and Cleon lasted for about 10 minutes, simply by looking at it.

Even considering the distance between the front and back rows of the march, the guards guarding the royal family would have arrived enough if they had jumped right in.

What if Cleon and Amelia are left unattended and an assassin wields a weapon?

Besides, if the adventurer protecting the imprisoned princess was a magic swordsman in the dark horse clan, no one would want to come close to the rear.

So, the number of citizens gathered in these places is decreasing, and the remaining ones are those who do not have the conditions to go to the front, or who do not have a little sense of crisis that they may be able to watch another fight .

Among the sparsely standing citizens, if it was a suspicious person walking this way, it would surely stand out.

“…Cleon.”

Then, Amelia calls her own name her from her carriage her.

As Cleon moved closer towards her at the sound of her voice her, Amelia raised her finger and pointed her finger at Cleon’s face her.

The left cheek his, when Cleon puts his hand his there, the blood that splattered when he cut Chris earlier appears to have hardened and stuck to his glove his, red.

“Ah, sorry.”

When I apologized to Amelia for not thinking it was a very nice sight, Amelia shook her head.

“There’s no need to apologize. Rather, I’m sorry. The fact that I can’t be of any help in this…”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m here as Amelia’s escort today. The fact that her escort target fights with her escort itself is a heartbreaking story for me.”

At Cleon’s words her, Amelia smiled bitterly and nodded her head.

“Anyway. With this, even a little bit of them will notice. Even if you pass through Luvera and Lavita and reach this place, it will be difficult to lay your hands on you.”

“It’s thanks to Cleon.”

When Amelia replies, Cleon adds, ‘Well, thanks to everyone.’

As Cleon said, without the help of the battle maids, Gray, and Layla outside of this mission, a considerable number of goofballs would have gathered and consumed the time.

With Lyla’s suggestion that assassins fight assassins, Ferdia is also with the Battle Maids, so their security is more strict than that of most aristocratic mansions.

“But it’s strange. I thought that an opportunity like this, surely Astarote would not miss it.”

Recalling the conversation with Evelyn earlier, Cleon thought that they would do something.

In fact, I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious in a situation where I couldn’t even feel their presence, let alone their appearance.

It wouldn’t be strange if Evelyn or a woman wielding that red spear appeared by now.

“Is there something else going on… ?”

“I can’t say anything about the demons’ plans. They often move in directions we can’t understand.”

Cleon answered quietly like that, then remembered something and exclaimed ‘ah’ with his mouth.

“…No, maybe he couldn’t come even if he really wanted to.’

“…Why?”

When Cleon said that, he secretly sent his gaze to the front of the march.

You can’t see it if you’re in the back row like this, but if you follow the procession of these wagons all the way – you’ll be among the wagons of the great nobles.

A carriage bearing the crest of the Order of Protection of the Saint.

And she will definitely be there.

“…Because Esca-san is there.”

At Cleonny’s words, Amelia also has an expression of ‘Come to think of it’.

A cleric who was a colleague of the past hero Lesia, who defeated the demonic sword emperor together, and who boasts unprecedentedly powerful divine magic in history.

The current pope who leads the Church of the Protection of the Holy Spirit.

If there is a Papal Escatology, his mere presence will serve as a counter to demons and other unholy beings.

Besides, unlike assassins, who cannot be touched for political reasons, the Church has no reason not to respond to demons.

If you think so, it makes sense that Astaroth and other demons do not appear.

“No matter how much it is, it’s unreasonable to ask the clergy of the church to deal with the assassins–If you ask me which way, the one where the devil appears is more troublesome. …If I don’t thank Mr. Esca later.”

“Yes.”

Amelia could feel her trust in Esca, who was also Cleon’s benefactor, even in her conversation with him.

Amelia herself has never spoken to her directly, but from what she has heard, she feels that she must be a kind person.

“…Well. Whatever. If the demons don’t show up. It’s good that we can focus on assassins too. Escort like this-“

That’s when.

As if to cut off Cleon’s words, Lyla’s voice jumped into Cleon’s head again.

[Cleon! It’s an incident at the front of the march!]

“… What?”

Cleon unknowingly spits out words.

What Lila said was so unexpected.

001

“You guys! How dare you stand in the way of anyone!”

The kingdom’s guards surrounded the man holding a spear and blocking the marching carriage.

The citizens who were watching the march also watched the man with a murmur, and said, ‘Yeah! Get out of the way quickly!’ They send out swear words such as, ‘The arrogant guy!’

He appeared just a few tens of seconds ago.

The march, which went on without any problems except for the trouble in the back, was blocked by a man.

Wearing a robe so deep that it hid his face his, he walked out of the crowd of observers without saying a word.

As if they had been waiting, they blocked the king’s carriage.

If you ask if this has never happened before – it wasn’t.

It is an event that has been going on for almost 30 years.

It was an opportunity to see the king up close, who was usually difficult to see even his face his, and it was also an opportunity to directly convey his voice his.

A servant of the king who tries to give advice without knowing that his life is precious, or a citizen who has a unfair story and has room for sympathy.

Or, a little crazy madman would appear like this and block the king’s way.

This time it was clearly the latter.

The moment I thought it had become rare in the past few years, now it’s blocking the front of the march again like this.

The aristocrats were thinking about the old days and watching how things were going.

Speaking of Lucius looking at the person blocking his path-

“…”

Just, without saying anything.

With the expressionless face that had been upset by Cassius, his forehead was covered.

It is to sit with the emotion of ‘if you are going to do it, do it quickly’ as it is.

“…If you don’t answer, I’ll have no choice but to punish you.”

When the man who was the captain of the guards said so, the guards held their spears, step by step. Walk forward

“Whoa… Haha…Haha…!”

It was then.

Suddenly, laughter erupted from under the man’s robes.

It was a strange voice that made me feel like a young man, but also an old man at the same time.

Just what is so funny.

People looked at him with a little fear as he laughed while raising his voice.

“…Was he crazy as expected. Arrest him!”

“Yes!”

And, when the guards are finally about to run towards him in earnest.

He speaks to the king

“Hasn’t he become a pretty cool king? Thirty years ago, when you were young, you were a bit more bloody and ugly.”

What followed was a clear, attractive voice that surprised even the people around her.

At his remarks her, as if meeting an old friend, not only people were buzzing, but even the nobles were surprised.

“Yes, you bastard! Aren’t you rude to His Majesty!”

“Your Majesty! Haha! That’s right, do you guys call him ‘Your Majesty?’

“What, what…!”

At such unimaginable rudeness, the captain of the guards felt his head his spin.

“Your Majesty! I’ll catch him right now and put him in jail, please anger-“

And, when the guard turns to calm the apparently angry king-

What is there is not the king sitting like a stone statue, covered with the majesty of a king, even until just now—

It was the figure of a man trembling in terror, his face pale and his head wrapped in his arms, as if his appearance his just before had been a fantasy.

“Your Majesty…!?”
Seeing it, all citizens and guards.

Even the king’s concubine, who was sitting next to him, could n’t erase her astonished expression of her.

Knock, knock, his teeth trembled and made a sound every time they bumped into each other.

“Lung, Your Majesty! Please calm down!”

When even the other servants raised their voices to calm him down—Lucius opened his mouth.

“Uh, why. Why are you still alive…!”

As if he had seen a ghost, Lucius muttered as if he was pulling out a voice from his stomach in fear.

As if satisfied with his appearance his, the hooded man applauded.

As if paying tribute to having seen the best show-

“You, you must have… Died then…!”

“Ah. I wanted to see that figure, Lucius. As expected, you look good with a distorted figure, like that of a dented canned food.”

When the words of the two men intersect, the Duke of Regent, right behind him, yells.

“What are you doing! I’m not going to catch that guy who was rude to His Majesty right away!”

“I’m sorry! Hold on!”

When the captain of the guards raised his voice like that, the guards also came to their senses and ran towards the man with their spears.

But, the next moment-

Whiik- and thinking that the flash passed by.

The guards who rushed to catch him fall down on the spot like a puppet whose thread has been cut.

And, a red puddle of blood soaking the floor.

From the armor that was easily torn like paper, the blood of the guards who became the owners flowed out.

“──!!”

Everyone present was shocked.

It was not ordinary guards who rushed to catch him, but the elite guarding the palace directly.

Of course, the equipment is also superior to that used by ordinary guards, and should not be easily destroyed even by mistake.

On top of the body of one of the fallen guards, the man puts his foot on his.

“If you step on it like this, this guy’s body will burst to death. Which is the elite, which is the Royal Guard. Compared to the army of the empire, as expected, your kingdom’s army is nothing more than a mediocre soldier. “

What the man was holding in his hand was a dagger with a simple black blade with no distinctive features.

He held it in each hand and turned it round and round in his hands.

He tucked back his hood with his left hand, dagger held in his hand.

Then – what you see there.

It was a young man with orange hair.

The way he laughed at Lucius and called his name in a friendly way, but he seemed too young to talk about things from 30 years ago.

The overall sharp impression, and the fact that there was no scar on the face of him, somehow felt like the restraint of a nobleman.

However, what is unique is his eyes.

As if they were not human, those eyes with white and black reversed, aroused fear in those who saw them.

“What!?”

However, Sir Percys, who was taken aback when he saw that, was watching the situation and getting up to see that it was getting serious.

And, it was Duke Regent who yelled at the guards to stop him.

“——Why?”

In a situation so unexpected, even the spectators who were watching it were shocked to the extent that they could not even speak out.

“Ugh, aaaaa!!!”

Lucius, the king, got up from his chair and tried to escape.

“Why are you still alive!!”

Once again, he sounds like he’s denying reality.

The one I didn’t want to remember, the one that haunted me in my dreams for half my life.

A terrible and painful existence in a nightmare.

“Otis!!”

An empire that has now collapsed and disappeared.

The captain of the bodyguard directly under the last emperor, Cain, the Demonic Sword Emperor.

Excluding the emperor, he is the first member of the ‘Black Giant’, which refers to the four strongest warriors.

Called the ‘Poet of the Emperor’, a scion on the battlefield and a master of strategy.

It was ‘Otis’.

“Since the emperor has returned alive, we have also crawled out of the darkness.”

He puts one hand over his chest in an exaggerated tone, as if to begin his play.

It was a polite greeting to everyone in the audience.